Latest pictures of Turkey's 5.9 magnitude earthquake (PHOTOS)

By IBT Staff Reporter On 05/20/11 AT 5:18 AM

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck western Turkey on Thursday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

The epicenter, at a depth of 4.60 km, was initially determined to be at 39.11 degrees north latitude and 29.12 degrees east longitude, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The termor occurred 11:15 Pm in Western province of Kuthaya.

Two people, including one who jumped out of a window in panic, were killed, Environment Minister Veysel Eroglu told reporters. As many as 79 people, including some who suffered from panic-related shock and heart attacks, were taken to hospitals, Eroglu said. Only one out of them was in serious condition, he added.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey and the last major one in March 2010, measuring 6.0-magnitude, struck eastern Turkey, killing 51 people.

This information below was provided by the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program.